The present invention relates to asset tracking, and more specifically to object identification for asset tracking.
Asset tracking takes place in warehouses, data centers, and other facilities, physical or otherwise. Asset tracking refers to tracking the movement of physical or non-physical assets. An asset tracking system can record the location and usage of the assets and generate various reports as required.
Asset management takes place in data centers. Data centers are facilities used to house computer systems and associated components, such as storage and telecommunication systems.
As data centers get larger and increasingly complex, it is increasingly difficult to accurately identify the different assets present and reconcile the assets with entries in an electronic asset database. Accuracy is important when changes are made to complex information technology (IT) infrastructure. A mistake, such as unplugging the wrong server, can have detrimental results, impacting revenue as well reputations of the customer and client.
Servers, appliances and network equipment, such as routers, switches, firewalls, and other equipment, typically do not have monitors attached, making it difficult to tell rows of similar devices apart. Conventionally, a sticky label with printed information including device name, asset number and making readable or scannable bar code is attached to the equipment. Over time, these labels can peel, fade, scratch, or otherwise become dislodged from the equipment. Human operators can also misread service names, especially when they consist of similar, seemingly meaningless sets of numbers and letters. Bar codes also only allow one asset at a time to be scanned and require the user to be in close proximity to the bar code.